Business strategies and the transition to low-carbon cities

Business strategies and the transition to low-carbon cities

Cities are key drivers of global climate change, with the majority of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions being tied to urban life. Local actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change are essential for stabilization of the global climate and can also help to address other urban ecological problems such...

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Published in:Business strategy and the environment Vol. 20; no. 4; pp. 251 - 265
Main Authors: Whiteman, Gail, de Vos, D. René, Chapin III, F. Stuart, Yli-Pelkonen, Vesa, Niemelä, Jari, Forbes, Bruce C.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01-05-2011
Wiley Periodicals Inc
Subjects:
Business strategies
Carbon
Carbon dioxide
Carbon emissions
Cities
Climate adaptation
Climate change
Climate system
corporate strategy
Ecologists
Electric vehicles
Emissions
Emissions control
Global climate
Greenhouse effect
Greenhouse gases
Mitigation
Pilot projects
Planning methods
Pollution control
Rotterdam Climate Initiative
Studies
Sustainability
Sustainability management
Urban areas
Western Europe
Rotterdam Netherlands
Netherlands
Netherlands, Rotterdam
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Summary:Cities are key drivers of global climate change, with the majority of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions being tied to urban life. Local actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change are essential for stabilization of the global climate and can also help to address other urban ecological problems such as pollution, decreasing biodiversity, etc. Companies are important urban actors in the development of low‐carbon cities because they provide a multitude of goods and services to city populations and directly influence urban carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This is a new area of research. While studies on corporate sustainability are numerous, there is little, if any, existing research that examines the role of companies in climate change adaptation and mitigation within specific urban areas. Urban ecologists also have not examined how corporate activity affects urban systems. Taking a multi‐disciplinary systems approach, we present a conceptual model of the role of companies in managing urban interactions with the climate system. We also present empirical findings illustrating how one company ‘partners’ with the city of Rotterdam to test electric vehicles as a pilot project for urban climate adaptation and mitigation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
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ISSN:0964-4733
1099-0836
DOI:10.1002/bse.691